Diet and food strategies in a southern al-Andalusian urban environment during Caliphal period, Écija, Sevilla

Abstract

The Iberian medieval period is unique in European history due to the widespread socio-cultural changes that took place after the arrival of Arabs, Berbers and Islam in 711 AD. Recently, isotopic research has been insightful on dietary shifts, status, resource availability and the impact of environment. However, there is no published isotopic research exploring these factors in southern Iberian populations, and as the history of this area differs to the northern regions, this leaves a significant lacuna in our knowledge. This research fills this gap via isotopic analysis of human (n = 66) and faunal (n = 13) samples from the 9th to the 13th century Écija, a town renowned for high temperatures and salinity. Stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotopes were assessed from rib collagen, while carbon (δ 13 C) values were derived from enamel apatite. Human diet is consistent with C 3 plant consumption with a very minor contribution of C 4 plants, an interesting feature considering the suitability of Écija to C 4 cereal production. δ 15 N values vary among adults, which may suggest variable animal protein consumption or isotopic variation within animal species due to differences in foddering. Consideration of δ 13 C collagen and apatite values together may indicate sugarcane consumption, while moderate δ 15 N values do not suggest a strong aridity or salinity effect. Comparison with other Iberian groups shows similarities relating to time and location rather than by religion, although more multi-isotopic studies combined with zooarchaeology and botany may reveal subtle differences unobservable in carbon and nitrogen collagen studies alone.

Sea, sickness and cautionary tales: a multi-isotope study from a post-mediaeval hospital at the city-port of Gibraltar (AD 1462–1704)

“…Other bone collagen data available from southern Spain largely relate to the medieval period and the widespread cultural changes that took place after the arrival of Arabs, Berbers and Islam in the 7th century. As noted elsewhere (Inskip et al 2019), there is no clear division between Muslim and Christian communities in isotopic evidence for diet, nor does there seem to be a change in diet through time in southern Spain. Rather, these data show a wide range in values across southern Spain (Table 6, Fig.…”

“…Eight animal teeth were analysed for Due to the radiocarbon dates indicating that the site was earlier in date than expected (Pomeroy et al 2018), human bone (n = 19) and teeth (n = 19 for carbonate analysis, n = 18 for dentine collagen analysis) were also analysed from Écija, a ninth to thirteenth century Islamic site in central Andalucía close to Córdoba, the former capital al-Andalus (full details in Online Resource 2). Further Écija data are also available from Inskip et al (2019) where they have been described in full. These datasets are combined and included in the comparison to other studies section below with the data from Inskip et al (2019).…”

“…Further Écija data are also available from Inskip et al (2019) where they have been described in full. These datasets are combined and included in the comparison to other studies section below with the data from Inskip et al (2019).…”

“…Four rough diet groupings were suggested above. The main diet group, who consumed a C 3 diet consistent with the analysed Table 6 Summary of human bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data various sites in Iberia, where possible only adult data are included (data from this study, Alexander et al 2015;Alexander et al 2019;Inskip et al 2019;Jiménez-Brobeil et al 2016;Salazar-Garcia et al 2014 andToso et al 2019 fauna, includes individuals from both the lower, 'local' strontium group (e.g. GH129 and GH142A) and the higher (?non-local) strontium group (GH148 and GH171).…”

“…Where strontium basemaps exist, coverage may be inadequate and hide small-scale variations. The alternative, the use of fauna to provide comparative data, is problematic as the fauna Alexander et al 2015;Alexander et al 2019;Inskip et al 2019;Jiménez-Brobeil et al 2016;Salazar-Garcia et al 2014;Toso et al 2019) may not be 'local' (as is likely the case here) or may not represent all of the areas from which (plant and animal) food was procured.…”